The other night, I took Dylan out before we all went to bed. I should have known something was up when he didn’t run to his “spot” but started to go under our back deck. I tried to get him out but before I knew it, he was running after a skunk who escaped by running out the other side of the deck. No matter how loud and crazy I screamed – Dylan pursued until he stopped – perhaps a second after he was sprayed.

Fortunately, I recalled a conversation with a friend whose dog was also skunked. Apparently, tomato juice is no longer the magic bullet for skunk spray removal. I couldn’t recall what it was, so we Googled it. The new trick is hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and liquid detergent mixed together, which you need to quickly apply and rub while it is still fizzing, then rinse and repeat as necessary. It’s a good idea to rub mineral oil over the dogs eyes to protect them while doing the procedure. And don’t forget to wear rubber gloves. 

Well, we had enough hydrogen peroxide to do this once. It helped a lot, but it did not get the job done. I thought that vinegar would react very much like hydrogen peroxide, so we Googled it, and it was also recommended. Thank goodness we have an ample supply of vinegar and baking soda in this house. We needed to repeat this several times to feel somewhat secure that most of the smell was gone. But truth be told, it was too difficult to tell. By that time, our nostrils were so filled with skunk smell, and it also wafted into the house, it was everywhere.

Apparently, we have a skunk living under our porch. This was not the first time we had smelled skunk around the house, just the first time we ever met one. Luckily, a friend told me a way she relocated skunks living under her porch – mothballs. They hate the smell (reminds me of a very silly joke from college) as most living creatures do. However, they are very toxic to living creatures, so you don’t want it in your soil either. The trick is to put them in a pie tin, fold it over and use duct tape or a rubber band to closed it. The duct tape will prevent critters from getting the mothballs and from the rain getting in, which may melt them, thus resulting them getting into your soil. At least that is the hope. So, I did that, along with giving Dylan a couple more baths. Unfortunately, when he is wet, he still has a little skunk odor which I guess is normal and is suppose to dissipate in a few weeks, some say months. We are keeping our fingers crossed. I’ll keep you posted.

Hey, give me a break – it was college!